Drug company lied about painkiller patent

The court, reports The New York Times, upheld a ruling last year by a District Court in Manhattan, which found that Purdue Pharma had intentionally deceived patent officials to secure OxyContin\'s patent by implying that the company had clinical evidence to show that OxyContin was easier for doctors to use to control pain, when in fact such data did not exist. The report says the ruling opens the door to increased generic competition, as well as potentially huge legal awards against Purdue. The unanimous ruling is a victory for Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings, which is seeking to market a generic form of OxyContin. Full report in The New York Times